To the Editor

May 14, 2013

By Contributor

Support your paper

To the good people at The Issaquah Press

My heart was broken when I saw you were leaving Front Street, and again when I read you had been burgled soon after the move. You are and always have been such an amazing resource for this community. Your health and well-being are essential to the vitality of our community.

The Press is no ordinary local newspaper. It “gets” the community, linking local stories with national and international issues, revealing and enhancing their relevance. I find out what our local council and state Legislature are doing and how it might impact me.

The Press’ presence is all-important. I find new businesses have arrived in town through their advertising and/or announcements. I will seek the business out. It never ceases to amaze how many businesses come to town and don’t utilize this tremendous forum to let the town know of their presence and venture. I see a connection, between those who come and succeed and those who come and fail, in the business’ use of The Press for advertising.

We need to support our award-winning local journalism. Those who have received The Press for years, free, need to step up and pay for their subscriptions, at least something, whatever you can pay. Local businesses need to continue, and increase, their support through advertising in this conduit to our growing, dynamic neighborhood.

Who are Mika and Kitten? Their love notes bring a smile to my heart. Where will The Press go next? We’ve had glimpses of places and stories from those in our community visiting and impacting the world. These pictures and stories always help me feel more connected and proud that our neighbors are making a difference.

While The Press may have left the physical core of our city, I know you will never leave the heart of our city.

Sue Liebling

Issaquah

Schools foundation luncheon

Thank you, Issaquah, for your generosity

I’m inspired to live in such a generous community. So many invested so much in our students and our schools at the Issaquah Schools Foundation’s Nourish Every Mind Luncheon. We set a new record with 1,200 in attendance and $681,000 in donations!

We couldn’t have done it without the work of hundreds of volunteers, including the Luncheon Committee, ISF board, Issaquah Lacrosse Club, LHS Culinary Students and ROTC, Maywood Choir, IHS Jazz Band and so many other student groups and dedicated individuals.

We’d also like to thank our local business community, which sponsored the luncheon and donated items for our online auction; especially Swedish and Microsoft. Lastly, our thanks go to the generous donors who gave so magnanimously; our students’ lives will be transformed for years to come.

Kristin Behn

NEM Luncheon chairwoman

Marijuana

Legalize it, tax it and be done with it

Ken Sessler wants somebody who voted yes to legalize pot to write and support their vote. Not that it is any of his business why I vote one way or another, but here goes.

I voted yes because pot being illegal isn’t going to remove it from our society. It being illegal removes all controls, gives no tax relief and only supports the black market. Legalize it. Tax it and get over it. There is my reason.

Mark Repanich

Issaquah

Klahanie

We already know what the city will do

My “magic eight ball” and I know the answer to the Klahanie annexation question, even with a “process” the council refers to that will include public hearings where “I love Issaquah” banners will be flying, and new math calculations abound showing how $6 million paid back in nearly 10 years is a great investment for Issaquah, and thanks for fixing our sewers and roads.

Yes, the real question is one that all of us already know the answer to: Is our un-managed growth obsessed government obsessed about Issaquah being a BIG city or a small town? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you’ve been living under a rock for a long, long, time.

Bryan Weinstein

Issaquah

School funding

Legislature should prioritize kids and families

Flowers, handmade cards, breakfast in bed. These are often gifts moms receive for Mother’s Day. This year, I’m hoping the state Legislature remembers to give moms a gift — a budget that fully funds education and helps all moms meet the basic needs of their families.

My two kids are happy and healthy, but I worry. Will their school class sizes increase? Do moms less fortunate than me have affordable childcare so they can go to work and feed their kids? When will every kid have access to all-day kindergarten?

I know life is about priorities. How much time do I spend on my career versus quality time with my family? Should we go on vacation or save money for the kids’ college fund? I know the state budget is no different.

Instead of prioritizing kids and families, the recent Senate Republican Budget prioritizes corporate special interests. It fails to end a single tax break, and creates more than a dozen new ones, while slashing funding for affordable housing and childcare for working moms. It spends hundreds of millions less on our kids’ schools than the budget passed by the House.

They got it wrong. It would be like me paying for my rich uncle to go to Hawaii, instead of paying for my son’s school supplies. It’s the wrong direction for our state.

Legislators should put our kids and communities first. Instead of funding a tax loophole for big oil companies, it should fund affordable housing for struggling moms. It should fund all-day kindergarten and smaller class sizes.

It’s often said that every day should be Mother’s Day. I can’t think of a better way to make every day Mother’s Day than for the Legislature to pass a budget that puts the needs of mothers and families before special interests.